Drug & supplement interaction

Ginger + Orphenadrine

Orphenadrine brand names: Norflex, Disipal, Banflex, Flexoject, Flexon, and others.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Ginger has a minor interaction with Orphenadrine. Theoretically, ginger might increase the levels of CYP2B6 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Ginger and Orphenadrine

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Orphenadrine

Orphenadrine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) SUBSTRATES — the group Ginger interacts with.

Theoretically, ginger might increase the levels of CYP2B6 substrates.
In vitro research shows that ginger inhibits CYP2B6 activity. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist with ginger and orphenadrine: your body uses a liver enzyme called CYP2B6 to help break orphenadrine down. Lab studies (done in test tubes, not in people) suggest ginger may slow that enzyme a bit. In theory, that could let a little more orphenadrine linger in your system, which might nudge up its usual side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth, blurry vision, or feeling lightheaded.

I want to be honest, though: this is rated minor and has never actually been seen in humans, only in the lab. Everyday cooking with ginger is very unlikely to matter. If you're using concentrated ginger supplements regularly, just give your pharmacist or doctor a quick heads-up so they can keep an eye on things.

References
  1. Husain I, Dale OR, Idrisi M, et al. Evaluation of the Herb-Drug Interaction (HDI) Potential of Zingiber officinale and Its Major Phytoconstituents. J Agric Food Chem. 2023;71(19):7521-7534.

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Ginger Also Interacts With Other Medications

Ginger has 875 moderate, 132 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Orphenadrine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ginger

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Ginger. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Ginger or Orphenadrine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Ginger or Orphenadrine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Orphenadrine

This page covers Ginger only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Orphenadrine page lists 35 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Procaine (major), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Artichoke (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 22 moderate · 11 minor.

Open the Orphenadrine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Ginger as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 9,640 real supplement products containing Ginger, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ginger. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Orphenadrine too, on top of Ginger — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Ginger and Orphenadrine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Ginger
Top 5%

#22 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Orphenadrine
Steady interest

#2,351 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Ginger

What is Ginger?

Ginger
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Motion sickness
  • Morning sickness in pregnancy
  • Digestive upset
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Joint pain and inflammation

Ginger is a widely used culinary spice with a long history in traditional medicine, and it has the strongest evidence for helping with nausea and vomiting, including from motion sickness, pregnancy, and chemotherapy. It is generally safe in food and supplement amounts for most people, though it may cause mild stomach upset. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using ginger supplements, especially if you are pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, or take other medicines.

Read the full Ginger monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Orphenadrine

What Is Orphenadrine Used For?

Brand names: Norflex, Disipal, Banflex, Flexoject, Flexon, Norflex Injection

Orphenadrine citrate is used to ease discomfort from acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions — things like muscle pain and stiffness. It is always used as part of a broader treatment plan that includes rest and physical therapy, not as a stand-alone cure.

Both the extended-release tablet and the injection form are approved for this use. Neither form directly relaxes tight muscles — the relief it provides is thought to be related to its pain-relieving (analgesic) properties.

See full Orphenadrine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ginger

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Ginger — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
875Moderate
132Minor
1,822No known interaction
Moderate

875 interactions

Showing 60 of 875 moderate interactions — see all 875 on the Ginger page.

Minor

132 interactions

Showing 60 of 132 minor interactions — see all 132 on the Ginger page.

No interaction 1,822 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Ginger against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,822 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ginger list.

Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Ginger and Orphenadrine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ginger with Orphenadrine?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Ginger and Orphenadrine interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.